Fear appeal is a marketing strategy that creates anxiety in consumers and offers a product or service as a solution. It is effective in attracting attention and creating demand, but if not managed properly, it can turn consumers away from the product.
Fear appeal is an advertising and marketing strategy that seeks to instill some degree of anxiety in consumers and then offers a means to alleviate that anxiety by purchasing a specific good or service. The use of scare campaigns is common across industries and has proven to be a highly effective approach to attracting consumers’ attention and creating demand for various products. Over the years, appeal advertisements on television, radio, and even print publications have been commonplace. Since the advent of the Internet, these appeals to consumer fears have been used in online advertising, often with success rates very similar to other media.
The basic structure of an appeal to fear is very simple. The consumer is faced with a situation where some kind of fear or anxiety is created. Once the scenario is established, advertising proceeds to present the consumer with a solution, usually in the form of a product. Once the product is used, the obstacle is removed and the fear no longer exists.
For example, the fear appeal approach is often used with personal care products. The ads convey the idea that if consumers don’t use particular toothpaste or mouthwash, their dirty teeth and less than fresh breath will offend people. The fear is that the consumer will become a social outcast with no friends to spend time with. If the consumer chooses to use the recommended products, their teeth will be bright white and their stale breath will suddenly be fresh and inviting. Instead of pushing people away, the consumer needs to use only the products presented and ensure an active social life.
The same general approach can be used to sell products like insurance. Sometimes health insurance providers create advertising that focuses on the high cost of medical care and includes depictions of a family who must sell their home to pay medical costs simply because they lack health insurance coverage. Companies that sell insurance to homeowners may also use ads that describe natural disasters, noting how their insurance product can make the task of rebuilding much easier, especially compared to someone who has no insurance and loses everything they own in a flood. or tornado. In most cases, advertising ends with the obvious solution: buy the product and never worry again.
While very effective, the appeal to fear that is not properly managed can cause consumers to turn away from products featured in advertising. In situations where attempts to instill a degree of anxiety make the potential customer feel intimidated or patronized, the reaction is often irritating to the advertiser. As a result, the consumer moves away from the product and looks for other products to meet their needs.
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